The Credit Unions of Wales provide ethical, affordable loans and straightforward savings that benefit the people and communities of Wales. Their proposition and identity required evolution to maintain pace with the expectations within the world of banking and financial institutions. Creating a distinct and flexible identity system was fundamental for this project.
The diverse audience and offering of the Credit Unions of Wales were essential considerations when developing the new identity and its supporting visual system. The toolkit needed to be flexible, distinct, extendable and complimentary to the member brands and sub-brands.
The core identity contains many visual keys representing the purpose of the Credit Unions of Wales. We were keen to embed these 'stories' within the identity to add intrigue and meaning.
The Credit Unions of Wales run initiatives and programmes to support their purpose throughout Wales. The master brand we created needed to inspire and guide the sub-brands within the portfolio.
We created a series of icons and animation sequences to help bring the identity and the core services to life. The core identity guided the styling of each icon.
The messaging for the Credit Unions of Wales was refined and simplified as part of the branding process — the purpose is to be more direct, confident and assured.
A key touchpoint for the Credit Unions of Wales is their website. As part of the rebranding process, we also designed and developed a new website to support the new identity and the aspirations of the collective.
To allow the wider team within the Credit Unions of Wales to ensure there was clarity and consistency across the various brand touchpoints, we produced a comprehensive set of brand guidelines to illustrate best practices.
The rebranding of the Credit Unions of Wales was a collaborative process throughout. Stakeholder workshops and input were key to helping us shape the brand strategy and implementation.